STATEMENT BY
LTG RICHARD A. CODY
DEPUTY CHIEF OF STAFF, G-3
UNITED STATES ARMY
BEFORE THE
TACTICAL AIRLAND SUBCOMMITTEE
ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE
UNITED STATES SENATE
ON
UNITED STATES ARMY AVIATION
SECOND SESSION, 108TH CONGRESS
MARCH 30, 2004
STATEMENT BY
LTG RICHARD A. CODY
DEPUTY CHIEF OF STAFF, G-3
UNITED STATES ARMY
INTRODUCTION
Chairman Sessions, Senator Lieberman, distinguished members of the
committee, we appreciate the opportunity to appear here today to provide an
update on the state of Army Aviation and how we intend to continue meeting
current operational requirements while we also prepare for the future.
We are witnessing historic times in our Army and our Aviation Force. As a
former Division Commander for the 101st Air Assault Division and now as Deputy
Chief of Staff, G-3, I can testify that our Army in general, and our aviation leaders
and Soldiers are well-trained, ready, and committed. I thank this committee for
your resolute support, concern, and faith in America’s sons and daughters, who
serve our Army and our nation. I believe you all would agree that while aviation
hardware and other systems are vital components of our nation’s defense, our
most precious and irreplaceable assets are the great Americans operating and
repairing them.
GEN Peter Schoomaker, Chief of Staff, Army (CSA), directed a top-tobottom review of Army Aviation in August of last year. The Chief’s guidance was
to make Army Aviation a capabilities-based maneuver arm optimized for the joint
fight with a shortened logistics tail. An Aviation Task Force was formed with a
select group of aviation professionals under the leadership of MG James
Thurman, Aviation Task Force Director; MG Joseph Bergantz, PEO-Aviation; and
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BG Edward J. Sinclair, Commanding General, United States Army Aviation
Center and School, who are in attendance today. Although the Task Force is still
working through many of the details associated with the 108 recommendations
required to transform this force, I will provide an overview of some key initiatives
the Army will implement to prepare the force for on-going responsibilities and to
pace aviation transformation relative to the rest of the Army. But first, I would like
to discuss the context and present state of our aviation force and briefly highlight
lessons learned from current operations.
CURRENT AVIATION FORCE AND LESSONS LEARNED
Army Aviation currently has over 450 aircraft deployed in Bosnia (SFOR13), Afghanistan (OEF-5) and Iraq (OIF-2). Since September 2001, the
operational tempo for Army Aviation is the highest it has been since the height of
the Vietnam conflict. We are flying three times as many hours in support of OIF
and OEF as compared to annual home station rates and the majority of those
hours are under combat conditions. The contribution of Army Aviation to
combating terrorism, defeating the Taliban, ousting Saddam Hussein, and
preserving the peace on the Sinai, Korean Peninsulas, and in the Balkans is and
continues to be a vital resource for our Combatant Commanders. However, this
success has not been achieved without a price.
The Army has lost 44 aircraft (an additional 23 are pending repair
analysis) in hostile and non-hostile incidents since 1 October 2001 and a total of
38 aviation Soldiers have given their lives in service to their nation and to the
accomplishment of these missions. These losses have not been without
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purpose. They have informed us for the future and have placed an
unprecedented sense of urgency in improving our capabilities, systems, and
doctrine.
Army aircraft and aircrews have performed superbly at an unparalleled
pace in one of the harshest, most unforgiving environments on the planet. The
environment and operational tempo have placed incredible wear and tear on our
fleets.
We have initiated an aggressive campaign to reset our deployed aviation
systems to a higher state of readiness than when deployed. The Army is
planning to expend $1.6B (FY04) to Reset 1054 aircraft as well as aviation
support equipment. Reset includes special technical inspection and repair at unit
locations and depot repairs for crash and battle damage aircraft. The impacts of
desert-induced damage led us to fund approximately $55M (FY04) in Desert Kit
improvements including aircraft engine inlet barrier filters, auxiliary power unit
inlet barrier filters, OH-58D hydraulic filters, ALQ-144 filters, rotor blade
protection and aircraft covers. All deploying aircraft will also receive these
upgrades. The magnitude and impact of this initiative is that nearly 60% of the
Army’s tactical aircraft fleet is currently either in Reset or deployed.
At the end of the day, our mission is to be ready and relevant when called
upon. As recently witnessed for Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring
Freedom, there may not be sufficient time to train before we go. Therefore, we
need to have trained, standardized and modular units that are fully connected to
the combined arms team and joint forces.
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Our aviation leaders and troopers performed admirably adjusting to adhoc task organizations during OIF and OEF. Today our aviation structure is
designed to support five different active component divisional organizations (Air
Assault, Airborne, Heavy Division, Light Division, Korea) and two different
reserve component structures. Specific divisional structures led us to specific,
but different aviation organizations. For example, we have 18-ship Apache
battalions in Heavy Divisions, but 21-ship battalions at Corps and 24-ship
battalions in the 101st Air Assault Division. We quickly discovered that 18-ship
Apache battalions did not provide enough aircraft for continuous close support to
maneuver commanders in non-contiguous operations. Additionally, aviation
forces were lift deficient at almost every level. Our units were extremely taxed
accomplishing intra-theater cargo and troop movement. Even though the U.S.
Air Force provided continuous intra-theater lift support, Reserve Component C23 Sherpa’s were activated to augment CH-47 Chinooks. Sherpa’s however, are
payload challenged in terms of performance and internal dimensions. More utility
and cargo capacity was required to support the long division maneuver from
Kuwait to Baghdad. Heavy Divisions consisted of only 16 UH-60 Black Hawks
for general support. With limited intra-theater lift and Corps assets already
overloaded, there were minimal cargo assets to augment divisional supply
requirements.
The future demands more standardized modular formations, standard
operating procedures (SOPs) and joint training. Disparities in types, numbers,
mission and SOPs for aircraft and their assigned units impede flexibility that is
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traditionally a hallmark capability of Army Aviation. Standard basic building
blocks are the first step in creating modularity. Second, these standard units
must use similar SOP’s. The whole concept is standardized and modular units
that can “plug and play” with other units. Finally we must train more aviation at
Combat Training Centers (CTC) to further strengthen our combat arms capability.
Every OIF commander I have talked to has stated that the CTC prepared them
for this war. The Army’s CTC program is vital to the future, however we must
strive to include more jointness in our training activities.
The Army must also improve on combat safety. For aviation, that includes
improving the power margins required to fly at extreme altitudes similar to those
in Afghanistan as well as avoid or operate in “brown-out” conditions that occur in
desert environments like Kuwait and Iraq. There are materiel improvements that
we intend to incorporate on our current aircraft such as “fly-by-wire” systems that
provide hands-off recovery and/or landing in obscuration and low visibility
conditions similar to those found in today’s commercial jets.
The distances covered in today’s warfight will only grow in the future. Our
operations require satellite-based communications that can span the maneuver
distances and varied terrain to effectively operate in a net-centric system-ofsystems construct.
Of further concern is the synchronization and impact of bandwidth and
frequency spectrum on what will eventually be a proliferation of Unmanned Aerial
Vehicle Systems (UAVS) on the future battlefield. In Iraq, forces had a difficult
time operating UAVS due to limitations in the bandwidth and limited frequency
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spectrum. The Army will take a holistic approach to the development and
utilization of UAVS. Next month, the Army will deploy a UAVS Task Force to the
USCENTCOM Theater to study methods and procedures for more effective
integration of UAVS into Army and Joint operations.
With continuing lessons learned in our ongoing combat operations, let me
stress that the Army still has the best aviation forces in the world thanks to this
committee and the dedication and hard work of outstanding commanders and
Soldiers who are accomplishing the mission. But, we still owe them the very best
equipment and training this nation can provide, now and into the future.
ARMY AVIATION AS A CAPABILITIES – BASED MANEUVER
ARM OPTIMIZED FOR THE JOINT FIGHT AND LOGISTICS TAIL
SHORTENED
The mission to transform Army Aviation into a capabilities-based
maneuver arm optimized for the Joint fight with a shortened logistics tail requires
a structure that is more modular and tailorable to support a range of missions
and/or units. In addition to organizational and structure changes developed from
lessons learned in current operations, Special Operations Aviation (SOA)
capabilities were reviewed to determine what could be migrated into the
conventional aviation force. Examples of previous SOA capabilities migrated into
the regular force include night vision goggles, aviation life support equipment,
and crashworthy fuel tanks. The Aviation Task Force also studied active and
reserve component responsiveness in order to optimize force readiness for
deployability, limit reserve activations and enhance unit and Soldier stability.
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Finally, we looked at current and planned systems to determine their relevancy
and synchronization in meeting Future Force requirements to include
interoperability with the Future Combat Systems (FCS) and joint tactical
warfighting.
Army Aviation is a unique combat element with requirements that extend
across all Joint Functional and Operating Concepts. We analyzed required
capabilities from joint doctrine down to the company level. This enabled us to
focus on the development of basic building blocks for units. These company
building blocks permit the creation of a truly capable Aviation Unit of Action (UA)
with standardized formations. Based on current and projected aircraft inventories
and with optimization of the force as a key parameter, we will restructure the
current non-standard aviation brigades into 11 active and two reserve component
multi-functional Aviation UAs. These multi-functional Aviation UAs will support
four to five brigade combat teams. The Aviation UA design incorporates the
lessons learned from recent operations and corrects deficiencies in our current
structure by moving aviation assets closer to the warfighter.
The Aviation UA is able to organize by task, purpose, and mission. This
provides several advantages over the current force structure. The new
organization now includes robust reconnaissance, attack, air assault, utility, and
cargo capabilities. It also includes organic aviation maintenance support in the
aviation support battalion (located today at the division support command).
Combat medical evacuation aircraft are directly organic to the aviation brigade
commander to better support our forward forces. Further, it will be much easier
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to task-organize across divisions in order to meet the maneuver commander’s air
requirements.
AH-64 Apache battalions in the new aviation structure are all 24-ship
organizations. Black Hawks are increased from 16 to 30 aircraft to provide every
division the capability to conduct, at a minimum, a battalion-sized air assault in
one lift or sortie as well as increase overall aerial logistics capacity. Aerial cargo
support was also moved closer to the warfight by shifting CH-47 Chinooks from
corps to the divisional aviation brigade. Additionally, a new fixed-wing
Operational and Organizational (O&O) document is in the staffing process that
proposes increasing tactical (TOE – Table of Organization and Equipment)
aircraft, reducing administrative support (TDA -Table of Distribution and
Allowances) aircraft and significantly increasing intra-theater lift potential.
The Aviation UA will contain the Class IVa Unmanned Aerial Vehicle
Systems (UAVS) that will enhance manned-unmanned teaming and add more
reconnaissance and surveillance capabilities to the Maneuver UA. At least $300
million will be added to our UAVS programs to accelerate this critical capability.
We learned from Special Operations Aviation (SOA) about their utilization
of robust liaison teams habitually attached to the Special Operations Ground
Forces they work for. In turn, we developed a Brigade Aviation Element (BAE)
organic to every ground maneuver unit equipped with long-range joint
communications packages to better synchronize and deconflict airspace for
responsive planning and execution of combat operations. Additionally, starting
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this year the Army will field an interim standardized logistics automation system
migrated from SOA to fill an automation void and improve aviation maintenance.
Logistics will be our “Achilles heel” in the future if we do not transform it
correctly now. The Army requires future force systems that have predictive,
embedded diagnostics and prognostics – similar to those in new cars that tell you
when an oil change or maintenance is necessary. Common Transitional System
– Aviation (CTS-A) with Aircraft Maintenance Aid Concept (AMAC) interface are
Aviation logistics automation systems that will serve as critical sustainability
enablers for the future.
Aviation maintenance must also transform to support
standardized and modular concepts. Our logistics transformation initiatives
include tooling reserve component Aviation Classification Repair Activity Depots
(AVCRAD) for full integration into the National Maintenance Program mission.
The non-linear battlefield will require transitioning to two-level condition-based
maintenance. Meaning defective parts are replaced on the system when forward
deployed and defective parts are repaired off the system in rear areas or in the
U.S.
Condition-based maintenance also means repairing equipment only when
it breaks or is predicted to break. This concept reduces spare parts
requirements, maintenance equipment, forward stationed maintainers and
ultimately, the logistics footprint. We must also pursue spares commonality to
further reduce logistics and supply distribution overhead. Procurement of sets,
kits, and outfits (SKO), special tools, test equipment, and ground support
equipment (GSE) will further enable our transition to two-level condition-based
maintenance. However, modularity also implies that maintainers must also be
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proficient warriors. Every member of the Army Team is a Soldier first and must
be proficient in combat skills regardless of unit type. The nature of warfare in the
future demands this.
As I mentioned earlier, there is no substitute for demanding and realistic
training. Leader development and individual/crew training is the foundation for
everything we do. Our training strategy during this period of change is to fully
implement Flight School XXI to produce more competent and trained flight crews.
We will procure and field six additional Aviation Combined Arms Trainers
(AVCATT) suites to conduct collective combined arms training and we will
leverage our simulations capability by upgrading or fielding additional AH-64
training devices. To complement our revised training strategies, we will apply
over $1.3B to our munitions accounts to resource our unguided training
munitions ($1.1B Hydra 2.75” Rockets) and to bridge the gap between the
Hellfire missile family ($180M) and the forthcoming Joint Common Missile (JCM).
Recent lessons learned have informed us concerning our doctrine,
tactics, techniques, and procedures. Our Aerial Gunnery (Field Manual 1-140)
techniques and procedures are being updated to include the “running and diving
fire” engagement technique. The United States Army Aviation Center and
School is now qualifying all AH-64 pilots on Night Vision Goggles and there is
increased training emphasis on Aircraft Survivability Equipment. As a result of
preliminary findings from our Aircraft Shootdown Assessment Team (ASDAT),
we have initiated maneuvering flight training. A comprehensive review of UAV
doctrine is also underway at the United States Army Aviation Center and School.
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Tactics, techniques, and procedures for aviation in Military Operations in Urban
Terrain (MOUT) have been revised and continue to be refined. Lastly, we must
revise our current Army Aviation employment doctrine as we transition to MultiFunctional Brigade (UA) and Aviation Expeditionary Regiment (ARNG) structures
under the modularity concept.
ARMY AVIATION MODERNIZATION
On February 23rd of this year, the Army leadership announced initial
results of the Aviation Task Force. A significant recommendation was to
reallocate RAH-66 Comanche funds to improve the overall capabilities and
health of the aviation force. Terminating Comanche was neither an easy
decision nor one made without considerable Task Force and leadership analysis.
It was the right decision from both an operational and investment perspective that
was made in the context of the changing operational environment, numerous
studies in the last 25 years, and what we have learned from recent and ongoing
operations.
Comanche is unquestionably one of the most sophisticated aviation
platforms in the world today. The Comanche team of engineers, software
developers, testers, and fabricators epitomize American ingenuity and represent
the world’s finest. We anticipate multiple opportunities to horizontally integrate
leading Comanche technologies into current and planned programs. For
example, we envision harvesting the Radar Electronics Unit, Integrated
Communications, Navigation and Identification Avionics (ICNIA), Radar Warning
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Receiver, and Fly-by-Wire technologies. The Comanche I2TV system is also
under consideration.
The central issue to this difficult decision was that Comanche program
growth accounted for 40% of the current aviation budget and up to 47% in the
Extended Planning Period (EPP). By reallocating approximately $14.6 billion
(FY04-11) that would have bought the initial 121 Block I Comanche’s, the Army is
able to restructure and enhance our $100B investment in the total aviation force
to meet current and future requirements.
There will be contract termination costs associated with this decision.
Military and industry representatives are working diligently to determine the exact
figure. Preliminary estimates are between $480M - $680M; however, the
process will take some additional time since we must work with 400+ subcontractors that have contracts valued in excess of $100K. The Army will
disseminate the termination costs when determined and finalized.
Termination of Comanche reflects the Army’s recognition of new and
changing global security challenges and national security requirements. The
result of this reallocation will be a new buy of almost 900 aircraft over the
Program Objective Memorandum (POM) to build modular tailorable forces and
provide our Reserve Components with more modern systems. The Army will
accelerate modernization to include Aircraft Survivability Equipment (ASE) for all
airframes. This includes modernization of 1400 aircraft to increase capabilities,
survivability, and maintainability beyond 2020. The Army will buy 368 Armed
Reconnaissance helicopters, initially upgrade 284 AH-64D’s to the Block III
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configuration with an ultimate objective of 501, and procure 303 light utility
helicopters. This will enable us to completely divest 880 obsolete UH-1 Hueys
and OH-58A/C Kiowas and to return UH-60 Black Hawk aircraft from our support
and testing communities back to operational units. These FAA certified,
commercial off the shelf (COTS), light utility aircraft will provide administrative
support at our training bases and will also be assigned to Army National Guard
units to conduct state missions, assist in counter-narcotics operations, and to
respond to homeland security requirements.
The identified intra-theater lift shortfalls will be addressed through the
procurement of approximately 25 Cargo Fixed Wing aircraft, additional
procurement of 20 CH-47 aircraft, and recapitalization acceleration for 19 CH47D aircraft. The plan also provides for new procurement of at least 80 UH-60
L/M Black Hawk aircraft to increase lift capabilities for our Aviation and Maneuver
UAs.
The net result of reallocating aviation resources includes procurement,
recapitalization, and modernization of 70 percent of the rotary wing fleet plus
enhanced Aircraft Survivability Equipment (ASE). In conjunction with our sister
services we will begin development of joint vertical lift platforms that provide
commonality and revolutionary capabilities in the future. In the meantime, Army
Aviation will take a huge step towards the future with balanced and integrated
capabilities, modular and tailorable formations, and cohesive and highly lethal
units that are deployable, versatile and able to operate in the joint warfight.
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As the Army modernizes the fleet, priority of fielding new, recapitalized or
remanufactured aircraft is based upon operational unit rotations and support to
the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT). Following current operations and the
GWOT, units with shortfalls are the next priority. The Army’s policy is to provide
deploying units in both the active and reserve components with the newest and
best available equipment. Overall, this reinvestment should provide no net loss
of business and revenue in the rotorcraft industry.
AVIATION SURVIVABILITY EQUIPMENT (ASE)
Aircraft Survivability Equipment and aircrew protection is Secretary
Brownlee’s number one aviation priority. The Army equips the AH-64, UH-60,
CH-47, OH-58D, and fixed-wing Special Electronic Mission Aircraft (SEMA) with
A-kits to accept ASE consisting of detectors, Infrared Red (IR) and Radio
Frequency (RF) jamming devices, and chaff and flare munitions to counter RF
and IR threat systems. All Active Army, National Guard, and Army Reserve
deployed aircraft, are equipped with ASE. Additionally, protection against direct
fire from small arms weapons is provided by armor panels, most frequently
located in crew compartments and sensitive areas of the aircraft (such as the
engine). On January 9, 2004, an Army G3 Policy Board approved the acquisition
of Aircraft Ballistic Protection Sets (APBS) for deployed Cargo and Utility
Helicopters that will ensure an enhanced degree of protection throughout the
cargo/passenger compartment.
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Currently, the Army is modifying the OIF utility fixed-wing fleet to accept
ASE while upgrading in theater and deploying CH-47’s with the ALE-47
Flare/Chaff Dispenser to counter anticipated anti-aircraft threat missile systems.
On 14 January 2004, the Chief of Staff approved an accelerated ASE acquisition
plan that will initially focus on upgrading to the next generation Common Missile
Warning System (CMWS) and Improved Countermeasure Munitions Dispenser
(ICMD) for OIF / OEF deployed and deploying helicopters and fixed wing aircraft.
This effort will commence by upgrading CH-47’s, followed by selected fixed wing
aircraft, UH-60’s, and AH-64’s. Over the POM period, the Army’s modernized
aviation fleet will be modified to accept an advanced countermeasure system
consisting of CMWS / ICMD and a Multi-Band LASER Jammer.
With respect
to training, the Army formed an assessment team to review in-theater missile /
helicopter incidents. The goal of this team is to develop lessons learned for
incorporation into Standard Aviation Programs of Instructions and Tactics,
Techniques, and Procedures (TTP’s) adhered to by Army Aviation Units.
AVIATION SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY (S&T)
The Army Aviation Science and Technology (S&T) program fuels
revolutionary aviation development, expands scientific knowledge in the area of
manned and unmanned helicopters, and matures and demonstrates new
technologies in support of the Future Force and Joint Vision 2020. Based on the
Army Transformation Plan, this effort has been focused on investigating and
developing technologies applicable to unmanned systems and to support
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selected opportunities for manned systems. The Army has a unique
responsibility within DoD as the service lead for rotorcraft S&T investment.
Under DoD Project Reliance, the Army has the responsibility to address the
rotorcraft S&T requirements of all services and the Special Operations Command
(SOCOM) in the areas that are not service or command unique.
The aviation S&T program invests in three areas: basic research, applied
research, and advanced technology development. The Army invests in worldclass expertise in academia, industry and other government agencies, as well as
in state-of-the-art equipment in the area of basic research.
A highlight of basic research is investment in the Rotorcraft Centers of
Excellence at Pennsylvania State University, Georgia Institute of Technology and
the University of Maryland. Basic research is conducted by the Aviation and
Missile Research, Development and Engineering Command (AMRDEC)
Aeroflightdynamics Directorate (AFDD) located at the Ames Research Center,
Moffett Field, CA and by the Army Research Laboratory (ARL) Vehicle
Technology Directorate at the Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, OH and the
Langley Research Center, Langley Air Force Base, VA.
The Army Aviation applied research program provides the enabling
technology and baseline for aviation development. This research includes
enabling technologies for manned and unmanned rotorcraft in propulsion, rotors,
drive train, and structures. A highlight of the program is the expansion of
knowledge in air system autonomy and manned-unmanned teaming. The
applied research program also invests in the National Rotorcraft Technology
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Center. The Center is a partnership of government, industry, and academia for
developing air vehicle designs and other rotorcraft technologies. The program is
executed at AFDD at the Ames Research Center, the Langley Research Center,
and the ARL Vehicle Technology Directorate at the Glenn Research Center.
A key element of the aviation applied research program is the
longstanding partnership the Army has established with the National Aeronautics
and Space Administration (NASA). This partnership, first established in 1965,
has resulted in an exemplary, highly integrated national technology program that
is fully coordinated with industry and devoid of duplication of facilities and
programs. All fielded United States military rotorcraft, and derivations that have
established our commercial base, can be traced back to this Army/NASA
partnership. DoD/Army rotorcraft and the Vertical Takeoff and Landing (VTOL)
UAVS technology development strategy depends on the continuing partnership
with related NASA technology programs.
The Vertical Takeoff and Landing (VTOL) Unmanned Aerial Vehicle
Systems (UAVS) potentially bring unprecedented agility, maneuverability, and
lethality to the Future Force, while reducing signatures and logistics burdens.
The Transformational nature of the UAVS, both in capabilities and new
paradigms, has energized the aviation field (in industry and academia) to truly
“think outside the box.” The benefit to the Department of Defense (DoD) and the
Army will be revolutionary warfighting capabilities, as well as enhancements to
the current force.
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The aviation advanced technology development program is focused on
UAVS, with an emphasis on demonstrations to provide the warfighter with the
menu of technology for development and integration into the force. The
demonstration programs will mature technology into realistic and robust
prototypes. Technologies that enable autonomous flight, higher aerodynamic
airframe loads, and increased maneuverability possible with UAVS will be
demonstrated. A highlight of this effort is the Airborne Manned-Unmanned
System Technology (AMUST) and the Hunter-Standoff Killer Team (HSKT)
Advanced Concept Technology Demonstration (ACTD). These programs
constitute the major effort to demonstrate manned-unmanned teaming. The
program also invests in propulsion, drive train and structure technologies that
enable UAVS application and have technology transfer opportunities to manned
airframes. The advanced technology development program is managed by the
AMRDEC Aviation Applied technology Directorate (AATD) at Fort Eustis, VA.
Another notable highlight of the advanced technology development
program is the Army-Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)
partnering on UAVS platforms for lethality, surveillance and communications
relay. The Army is pursuing increased lethality for the Future Force through the
Unmanned Combat Armed Rotorcraft (UCAR) program (an armed VTOL UAVS)
designed to team with manned or unmanned systems. Increased surveillance
capability is being pursued through the A-160 Hummingbird Program, a medium
altitude, long endurance VTOL sensor and communications platform, and the
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Organic Air Vehicle (OAV), a ducted fan VTOL UAVS that can be carried by the
Soldier and/or launched from a vehicle.
The investment by the Army in aviation S&T is guided by the requirements
of the Future Force. Our investment in advanced technology development will
grow in the coming years to meet the challenges of those requirements. The
Army is confident that the aviation S&T investment represents a prudent program
that meets the DoD and Army Transformation goals.
CONCLUSION
In closing, I have been very impressed and pleased with the performance
of Army Aviation in our recent and ongoing operations. But we can get better….
We have to get better. Strengthening Army Aviation and investing for a
successful future reaffirms to our Soldiers, our sister services, and the nation,
that only the best equipment and capabilities put into the hands of the finest
Soldiers in the world will be brought to bear in protecting our way of life, defeating
terrorism, and the fight for freedom over tyranny.
Thank you for allowing me to share our work and participate in this
session. We look forward to answering your questions.
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